'They say behind every great man there's a great woman. While I'm not a great man, there's a great woman behind me.'
That quote came from Meryll Frost, a quarterback interviewed by The Port Arthur News in February 1946. I can relate. Like Meryll, I do not consider myself a great man. I've accomplished a few things that made me feel great, and I wouldn't mind one day earning such status.
Regardless, there is someone great standing behind me. Everything I've done in the past two and a half years, I've done with the encouragement, support, help, advice and coordination of this great woman. She helped me prepare for my Walkabout despite the possibility that it could destroy our relationship. She actually threatened to break up with me if I didn't go because she knew how much the trip meant to me. She took care of everything in my absence so that I wouldn't be burdened by worries of the affairs of home. And she helped me through some of the most difficult parts of my trip, just by emailing a few words of encouragement.
When I returned, she supported me financially while I searched for a job. She kept everything moving while I got back on my feet and took over all the bills so I could save money for trucking school. Once that was done, she made it possible to launch into my new line of work by holding down the fort in my absence.
Now, she continues to hold down the fort, packed up all our belongings to prepare for the move to North Carolina, found us a place to live, sold off all our junk, and worked out the details concerning utilities for our new home. She did all that, while still finding time to write, take care of our four year old child who looks like a black lab puppy, sort through submissions for our writing contest, and get our taxes done.
Once the move is done, she has to start conditioning for a 3 day hike into the mountains of Peru to Machu Picchu and a three month long canoe trip down the continent's mightiest river. And that's just the outdoor stuff. There's a job search, helping to run our own home business/publishing company, find a house to buy, and countless other miscellaneous things.
She's stressed, tired, aggravated, and discouraged, but she keeps going, dealing with one problem after another in a way I never could. She crushes obstacles and moves forward, leaving a trail of accomplishments in her wake. She's my Adventure Chick, my muse, my confidence. She's done more than she even realizes. She praises me for my accomplishments even though she's pushing me forward the whole time. She's my love. She's Tasha.
Maybe one day I'll be great. If so, it'll be because she was right there behind me, beside me, pushing me along and elevating me to her level.
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